Dolphins don’t take much time to celebrate win; move on to next game, opponent

Reshad Jones #20 of the Miami Dolphins reacts after intercepting a pass intended for Austin Hooper #81 of the Atlanta Falcons in the final seconds with Cordrea Tankersley #30 and Jay Ajayi #23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

DAVIE – The Miami Dolphins scored 20 unanswered points to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 on Sunday, but they won’t be patting themselves on the back for long. Immediately following their victory over the Falcons, Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry both preferred to look ahead to the next game, and many of their teammates expressed the same sentiments on Monday.

Tight end Julius Thomas, whose blocking was an integral part of the Dolphins’ success in the run game on Sunday, says the team’s overall success is dependent upon its ability to discard previous failures and successes.

“It’s crucial if you want to be a team that has success in this league,” Thomas said. “Whatever happened last week, you have to forget about that. … We just talk about being in the moment. There’s nothing you can do about what happened last week. The only thing you can do is focus on the next day.”

Wide receiver Kenny Stills, who was responsible for the Dolphins’ first touchdown against the Falcons, says he’s already forgotten about Sunday’s win and is on to next week’s opponent.

“By the time I wake up and go to sleep, the next day, it’s all gone,” Stills said. “ You really have to be able to shift the focus to the next week and get prepared for the next team. … It’s a better feeling in the locker room [after a win] with the coaches, but for the most part, when I wake up the next day, it’s time to go focus on the next week.”

The Dolphins have been incredibly resilient this season. They lost starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill and projected starting middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan in the preseason, lost their bye week as a result of Hurricane Irma and racked up more airline miles by Week 3 than 14 NFL teams will travel this season.

Coach Adam Gase is incredibly happy with the way his team has handled adversity and credits the squad’s veteran leadership for its ability to persevere.

“They do a great job of moving on — especially with the amount of guys we have 25 or younger. We have a lot of guys fresh out of college for the most part. … The veteran players have done a great job.

“You have Cam Wake, [Ndamukong] Suh, Reshad [Jones], [Jay] Cutler coming on board has helped … he’s the oldest guy, him and Matt Moore. They’ve done outstanding jobs trying to be mentors to some of these younger guys. … You’ve got some guys that have been around and seen a lot of things. They’ve been able to put things in perspective and help guys focus on what we got to do.”